Today, the environment is part of every political conversation, especially global warming. Yet, despite science a large number of people do not believe that it is a relevant issue. As the Director of an overnight summer camp with a science and nature focus, I find this amazing. I have said for years that if children come to a Nature Camp they will grow up with an understanding of nature. But more importantly they will develop a reason to preserve and protect the environment, even if it is for selfish reasons of having a place to do recreational outdoor activities, although I would hope it would be for more.

Surprisingly, research now confirms my thoughts. In a recent UK study it showed that based on data from more than 24,000 people in the UK, found that more frequent visits to nature for recreation resulted in greater appreciation of the natural world were strong predictors of pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). Additionally, urban residents with high neighborhood greenspace reported more environmentally friendly behaviors than those in low greenspace neighborhoods.*

As a parent,  if you want to create positive long term environmental effects, one of the best way is to send your child to a Nature Summer Camp not unlike Swift Nature Camp. It may just be one of the best things you can do for your child and the environment.

*Alcock et al. 2020. Associations between pro-environmental behavior and neighborhood nature, nature visit frequency and nature appreciation: Evidence from a nationally representative survey in England.